# List reel: one shape, a new surface per item

Recipes / Preset / Motion graphics. Checked 2026-11-13.

A long list goes by fast and still feels like one film.

- Use when: N tools, N workflows, N of anything, with the full list in the post text.
- Phrase: one fixed mask holds the frame for the whole list, a horizon-shaped arc; each item is a new full-bleed texture inside it, cut hard on the beat, with a numbered two-line label at the bottom left
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/preset/preset-list-reel
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/preset/preset-list-reel.json

## Watch out

- Measured on the reference: 20 items in about 11 seconds after a 2.2-second title, a cut every 0.45 to 0.9 seconds, music only at -14.0 LUFS. (measured; Director Chair notes on A motion studio in 20 open-source repos (Arminas Valunas))
- Half a second per item only works when the list is also in the post text, so viewers can read it there. (practitioner; Director Chair field notes on motion graphics)

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me a production plan: the shots or scenes in order, what each one needs, and the edit settings, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is list reel: one shape, a new surface per item: a long list goes by fast and still feels like one film. How it works: one fixed mask holds the frame for the whole list, a horizon-shaped arc; each item is a new full-bleed texture inside it, cut hard on the beat, with a numbered two-line label at the bottom left. It is right for: n tools, N workflows, N of anything, with the full list in the post text. Measured on the reference: 20 items in about 11 seconds after a 2.2-second title, a cut every 0.45 to 0.9 seconds, music only at -14.0 LUFS. Half a second per item only works when the list is also in the post text, so viewers can read it there. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Cut on the beat: https://directorchair.ai/sound/cut-on-the-beat
- Hard cut: https://directorchair.ai/transition/hard-cut
- A finite promise with a counter: https://directorchair.ai/hook/visible-counter
- Type and shapes carry it: https://directorchair.ai/format/format-motion-graphics

## Source

Own words from Director Chair field notes on motion graphics and Director Chair notes on A motion studio in 20 open-source repos (Arminas Valunas)

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.